Even the best retirement community apartment isn’t going to feel like home until you get
your hands on it. It may have great furniture, excellent views, and all the creature comforts
you need, but until you personalize the space, it’s always going to feel just a little hotel-like.
You deserve to feel at home in your new place, so to help you do just that, follow these top
five tips to make you senior living apartment feel more like home.
- Choose the Right Retirement Community
Not all retirement communities are made equal. Some are rather lackluster, and do the bare
minimum for their residents. Others go above and beyond to cater to all aspects of your
health and well-being. The quality of life you lead in your community is always going to make
a massive difference when it comes to making it feel like home, so choose wisely. Just look
at what active senior living in Eureka, MO, can give you. In addition to having access to a
great apartment, you’ll also have medical care, assistive care, events, and socials all
planned out and taken care of on your behalf. - Don’t Be Afraid to Rearrange or Bring in Your Own Furniture
While it’s not reasonable to bring and use all the same furniture, you can absolutely
rearrange what you’re given and add to the mix with your own pieces. Your favorite chair,
your prized lamps, and so on are all great choices to bring to your new home to make it feel
both familiar and more like yourself. You may be able to replace furniture as well with your
own, but you’ll need to talk to the community organizer to see if this is possible. Usually, the
reason why it wouldn’t be is if there wasn’t any storage to keep the original furniture in, at
which point you’ll just have to make do. - Add Your Own Artwork to the Walls
You deserve to have your own art and pictures on the walls. Use frame adhesives that can
be safely removed to stick these beautifully on your walls since they don’t leave behind
holes that will need to be patched up later. Fill your home with happy memories, art that
makes you feel great, and other decorative pieces that speak to you. - Bring Your Own Textiles
Using your own sheets, blankets, and towels can go a long way toward making any space
feel more like your own. Never underestimate how important touch is to your sense memory.
Feeling your sheets, using the same blankets, and wrapping yourself up in the same towels
can help you feel more at ease more quickly than almost anything else. - Make it Smell Like Your Home
While your space will naturally start to smell like home the longer you live there, there are a
few ways that you can kickstart your efforts. The first is to use the same soaps and
detergents as you used before. This will help your brain feel like it’s in a familiar place, even
if you’re in an entirely new senior living apartment. Your own perfume, scented candles, or essential oil dispensers also work to help you make your space feel like home.